Greenlandic locals reject becoming ‘second-class citizens’ of U.S.

Greenlandic locals have reiterated their rejection of the U.S. takeover, refusing to become second-rank citizens and deeply concerned about its impact on the region's natural resources.

Since taking office at the beginning of 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to acquire Greenland, even suggesting that the use of force is not out of the question.

On January 12, 2026, U.S. Representative Randy Fine, a Republican from Florida, proposed a bill authorizing President Trump to take all necessary measures to annex Greenland and ultimately make it "officially a state of the United States."

"They don't care anything about the indigenous people.  You can see the first nations in the U.S., they are being put in the reservation. They don't have the same human rights. They don't treat the minorities well. So, what will happen when they take over? If they take over, God forbid it. We will be second rank," said a local named Alibak Hard.

Analyses suggest that one reason the U.S. wants to take possession of Greenland is its mineral resources.

Kelly Berthelsen, another local, said that this concerns him the most.

"I'm fine with having trade with the United States, just like trade with anyone else in the world.  As long as it's free, as long as we can agree on terms, as long as we can agree on the environmental pollution prevention terms. But I know the U.S. sometimes, many times, it's not so nice in treating global people when it comes to mining.  So, I cannot even imagine what is going to be like in case they take us over and try to extract minerals. I don't like the scenario," he said.

Massive protests against U.S. actions and remarks suggesting control over Greenland were held on Saturday in multiple cities across Denmark.

Later in the afternoon, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States will impose 10 percent tariffs on all goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Britain, the Netherlands and Finland over Greenland starting on Feb 1.

Those tariffs would increase to 25 percent on June 1 and remain in place until a deal is reached for the United States to purchase Greenland, Trump said on social media.

Greenland is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, with Copenhagen retaining control over defense and foreign policy. The United States maintains a military base on the island.

Greenlandic locals reject becoming ‘second-class citizens’ of U.S.

Two weeks after a major U.S. military strike on Venezuela and the and the illegal capture of President Nicolas Maduro, the Venezuelan government has begun to implement a series of recovery and post-conflict initiatives.

On Saturday, Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez ordered the immediate start of repair work on buildings damaged during the attack.

Post-conflict cleanup and restoration efforts are now steadily advancing across Caracas. The Fuerte Tiuna military base was one of the areas most severely damaged in the U.S. airstrikes, with over 463 apartments sustaining damage. Rodriguez said that most of the aid needed for housing repairs has already been secured.

She also announced the launch of several special community programs. These initiatives include special care activities and psychological support services for children in affected communities. The government also plans to implement food supply deployments, set up open-air markets, establish mobile supply points, and provide comprehensive assistance, including medical and health services.

Meanwhile, legal experts and representatives from social organizations across Venezuela have voiced strong condemnation against the U.S. actions during a legal conference held on Friday.

They demanded that the United States respect international law and Venezuelan sovereignty by immediately releasing President Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were forcibly removed from the country.

"What we are demanding from Venezuela is that international law must be respected and saved, because once we fall into a state of disorder, what follows is war. We have already seen peace being trampled upon. The sovereignty of a country, officially declared a 'territory of peace' by the international community, has been violated. This has never happened before," said Indhriana Parada Rodriguez, a Venezuelan legal professional.

"We firmly demand the release of President Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. They were forcibly taken from their homeland in violation of all basic norms of international law," said Silio Sanchez, vice rector of territorial development of the Bolivarian University of Venezuela.

Call for Maduro's release continues as Venezuela moves to deal with aftermath of U.S. military strike